Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Routine - You Can't Hack Happiness

Episode Date: April 25, 2022

This morning, we take some time for self-reflection and introspection - the only way to find lasting happiness. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Good morning and welcome to Wake Me Up, the podcast where morning people are made. I'm Tyler, your host, as always. These days, the world is full of things that claim to be instant paths to happiness or success or health. their get-rich-quick schemes, but they never really work. And if they do,

then they all but guarantee you'll lose whatever you've found just as quickly as you got it. The truth is you can't hack success or health or happiness. Things of real, meaningful value require hard work and dedication. And when it comes

specifically to happiness, that personal feeling, of fulfillment in life. There's nothing more important than building a routine of good old self-reflection. Time to introspect because it's the long,

winding journey of understanding yourself that allows for you to lead a happy life. So that's what we'll do today. And before we get into anything, let's start with a couple of deep breaths. So inhale, and fill all the way up. Hold at the top for just a second.

And then exhale. Just let all of the air fall back out. No need to force it. Once more now, inhale. Filling even deeper this time. Hold and exhale. Now, before the day begins, ask yourself,

what's important to me today in this phase of my life? And there's no wrong answers here. And now ask yourself, if today was my last day of life, what would I do? Who would I spend my time with? So, hopefully these questions help guide what you do with your day. Speaking of it, it's time to get this beautiful day started. So if you're in bed, take a big breath in and on your exhale, roll over, and make your way to standing up. All right, friends.

Now that we're all up and out of bed, let's do one quick stretch, a big forward fold, just to get some blood flowing. And you should only take part in this if you're able. And if you have a safe space to do it. If you'd like to do a different stretch or something completely different, then, of course, please do that instead.

If you're going to come with me, take a big inhale, reach your hands to the sky. Reach all the way out of your shoulders, and on your exhale, fold forward at your waist. Let everything hang towards the ground. Release your arms. Relax your neck, and you can do whatever you'd like here. You can sit still.

You can sway side to side. I like to bend one knee and then the other. But you do what's right for you. All right. Now slowly begin to roll all the way back up to standing, vertebrae by vertebrae. And when you get there, roll your shoulders up, back, and down. All right. So hopefully your body is a little more awake.

Now, it's time for our meditation. Go ahead and find a comfortable seat. Anywhere in your home will do. Just not in your bed. In today's meditation, I'm just going to get out of your way. There's no affirmations, no questions, no visualizing. Just some quiet time by yourself, with your own thoughts. Silent observation of yourself is the most effective tool for self-actualization,

becoming who you want to be, and making the most out of your life, whatever that means to you. You see, we all fluctuate over time. We all change from minute to minute, day to day, and year to year. Learning yourself and understanding these changes is a mission critical for happiness. How are you to steer your own ship if you don't understand the ship itself? So today, just sit quietly with your breath, your body, and your body, and your thoughts and simply take note of whatever comes up so you should be in a comfortable seat by now and you want to be sitting upright nice and supported but try not to hold on to any tension

take a big breath in and on your exhale close your eyes take this first moment just to get settled in relax your face soften your jaw and drop your shoulders follow that natural rise and fall of your own breath. There's no specific pace or depth that's necessary. Do what feels natural to you. As you follow that breath, you'll slowly draw deeper and deeper within yourself. As you do, you can just let thoughts come and go. Take note of whatever's going on in your head and in your body.

As I mentioned, thoughts and distress. interactions will arise, and that's okay. The goal here is not for your mind to be perfectly silent. The goal is simply to notice what's going on, to be present. So just relax and observe yourself. There's no need to judge any thoughts or any sensations that come up. All right, we've got about another minute before we wrap up. So just continue sitting silently. noticing the thoughts you have and anything that distracts you. If you end up down a long rabbit hole, that's okay. Just re-center yourself on your breath.

All right, it's time to wrap up our meditation now. So begin to bring yourself back to the room. Notice your feet on the floor. Notice the chair beneath you. Notice any sounds going on in the room. and you can give your fingers and toes a little wiggle just to bring a little life back to your body. Take one final inhale, the deepest one yet,

and on your exhale, slowly open your eyes, and just take a second to gather yourself. There's a quote attributed to Socrates that goes, The unexamined life is not worth living. And while that may be a bold assertion, there is certainly some truth in it. Examining ourselves is how we can make the most of our natural talents and interests.

It's how we can compensate for our flaws and weaknesses. If there is a way to quote-unquote hack happiness, it has to be self-examination. But in reality, there is no shortcut to happiness, health, or success in anything. All of these are ongoing projects. They never really end. There's no amount of cold showers or salads that can make you perfectly healthy.

There's no one kind of business or investment that will make you financially stable. And there is no shortcut to happiness either. The sooner we appreciate, that it's this ever-changing journey of self-discovery that's the root of everything we do in life, then the sooner we can be happy and enjoy that journey, regardless of what comes our way.

Well, that's all for this episode. It's truly a blessing to have you here. Now go out, make the most of this opportunity called life, and have an absolutely fantastic day.